Traveling El Al, the Israeli airline, was an experience right from the moment I walked to departures checkin. After being interrogated by two different people, I was then taken behind a screen, where all my bags were hand searched and I was questioned again. I expected some of this, but come on - do I really look like an enemy of the state??? And I was still amazed that in 2009 a woman traveling alone would be so baffling to some.
The good side of this experience was that because of the time taken up in questioning me and searching my bags, I was personally escorted past the general security lines to the gate area, and then even escorted onto the plane - fabulous!!
Once I got on the plane, though, adventure continued to unfold. I was assigned a middle seat between a Jewish man who spoke no English and his teen-aged daughter. They wanted to sit together, but wanted me to take the window seat. 11 hours in the window seat is a quick route to disaster in my book! We had to wait till nearly everyone was on the plane before the cabin crew could re-seat us, and fortunately I was given an aisle seat.
I certainly felt like a foreigner on this flight - directions were spoken in Hebrew first, and was the predominant language I heard from the passengers around me. Those who ordered kosher meals received theirs first, so I waited while most others around me ate. Morning prayers at around 4am were also interesting, as many of the men pulled out their prayer shawls and stood to read Torah, complete with their distinctive and constant bowing.
We finally arrived in Tel Aviv, and I was exhausted. There was just no sleeping on the plane for me, as is often the case. The seats were more narrow on this plane than usual and my legs were hurting in spite of multiple doses of ibuprofen. Fortunately there were no hassles in checking my passport at customs, so I collected my bags and found the cab/bus to drive me to Jerusalem. After about an hour's drive I arrived at St. George's and was greeted by a familiar accent . . . Barbara, the Warden, is from Virginia!
I arrived at St. George's around 4:30 local time, so I unpacked and then laid down for a few minutes' rest, and then changed clothes for evensong at the Cathedral. The bells rang, but no one was there, so I scrounged up a Bible and BCP and did my own evening prayer.
I was surprised how much cooler it was once the sun started going down. And there was a nice breeze, so I walked around the St. George's precincts a bit, snapping a few photos. I felt instantly at home when I saw the Boone Porter and Diosova plaques in the garden...
The night guard helped me order a Greek salad for dinner and fix a cup of tea. By 9:15 I was in bed for the night, but hardly slept since the mattress is just about the hardest mattress I've ever slept on - even worse than the one in Belgrade! Hopefully I'll adjust as the week bears on.
The Cathedral
In the garden
Olive tree
Grapes!
Cathedral Cats
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